Very nice looking place, done with great taste. Lots of good looking people, great place to meet friends, if (maybe) a bit noisy. But that’s me being too French! Most people like noise, it seems, these days. … It just concerns me when restaurateurs focus so much on the entertainment value of their establishment, people do get bored very quickly, but how much is too much? San Diego is no New York, food often becomes an afterthought. The food is well executed, not memorable, but definitely above the Fifth Avenue lineup of usual suspects!

— Fabrice Poigin, private chef, restaurant consultant

Searsucker is a great addition to the San Diego dining scene. It fits chef Malarkey’s style like a glove.

— William Bradley, executive chef at Addison

I had dinner there Sunday night, I think the space was the most notable thing for me. Intelligently designed, a great bar and a great open kitchen. The food was good but not seasonal, which I found a little strange considering the availability of the greatest produce in the country. The cocktails were my least favorite, although I am a little sick of hipsters with their skinny jeans, curly mustaches and craft cocktails!

— Ricardo Heredia, executive chef at Alchemy Restaurant

Sonically, Searsucker has an impressive “big room” energy that, personally, I love, but many San Diegans might bemoan as “loud” or “noisy.” It’s the cosmopolitan sound and vibration of a good time — people embracing the food, the space and the (mostly) anonymous company they keep.

One of my favorite new restaurants in San Diego! Great service, good mixologist, craft beer, decent wine list, duck fat fries, and caramel bacon sauce on the sundae = win! If I have to limit it to one thing: Stone Smoked Porter paired with caramel bacon sauce on the “King” sundae.

Searsucker’s design, atmosphere and food all represent an urbane addition to the San Diego dining scene. The service is friendly, professional and authentic. The food is comfort driven and strategically designed to offer a solid balance between innovation and value. The bar is also a good place to eat and the bartenders are knowledgeable. The challenge is perfectly executing this menu on a weekend night when the dining room is spinning out of control.

— J. Dean Loring, co-owner of Burger Lounge

Brian and his talented team deliver the show in a complete package. From cocktails to apps, from entrees to desserts … they present! The food is most satisfying; comfort fare with a twist; dressed up just enough to be exciting, but not weird for the sake of being different.

Searsucker may just have the best scene in San Diego thanks to Thomas Schoos’s design. It’s airy interior is vast yet inviting with a magnificent bar planted in the center of the restaurant. With exposed light bulbs and beams, plenty of steel and wood, and mismatched chairs and fabrics, Searsucker is modern and hip without being intimidating. It makes you want to linger long after the meal is over.

— Susan Russo, food writer, cookbook author

From the U-T

Had lunch at Searsucker today. The food was very good. Salads and sandwiches were thoughtful and imaginative, well presented and packed with flavor (my “Triple C” – crab cake with bacon and avocado with tarragon aioli is still swimming in my mouth). Nicely sized portions, too. Atmospherics were not what I expected — it is trés casual, über-industrial, almost like a “hangout” — and it is loud. If this is what the ambience is like at dinner, I can’t see that it is going to appeal to serious diners.